Beyond Tomorrow
by Rymsie
Summary: SesshouMaru discovers who Kagome is and what she means to all youkai-kind. He must gain her trust or perish in the fate of his brethen.
1. Default Chapter 1

Her passion for the unexplainable, Where else but here can she be found? Loved in the deepest manners By those who have even breaths of a day, Any day any year of that life, In her company. 

She is the magic that pulses in our veins, She can give to you all that are needed To know clarity, happiness, calm. You cannot help to love her, This being of divine grace and majestic old age style. 

The pleats of material cloak her body, Highlight all the features, That man and woman alike dream. You will see her in the dramas of sleep. You will hear her melody as it sings to the mind, The placid hope that is held in our futures. 

To touch her is to see all that you know and remember, To learn, To communicate for those who are near. They hear your thoughts, Commands, An ability that she teaches with even brief contact. 

Luckiest is he that tastes her, For he will be able to forever guide his self And those surrounding him. Into the boundless open, fearlessly. 

Her love will not be won easily, Yet the trust that she holds for all, Known to her or not, Is a gift to you. Do not hurt that which brings so much joy and peace to this world. 

We once destroyed her kind, let us not do so again.

---------------------------- 

  
**Chapter 1**

He watched her from afar.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
Kagome ran to the well, unbelieving at the sight she had just taken in. InuYasha and Kikyou together, holding one another like lovers. Even after all the trouble the undead miko had given him, InuYasha was with her. Kagome had heard him promise to protect her, to repay her death with his life, to be there for her needs. It was a pact meant to be made without Kagome knowing and that hurt the most.  
  
She gazed down into the well, unable to focus on the bottom and feeling wave after wave of nausea flow through her. She wanted to retch, to purge her body of the growing knot in her chest and then to escape somewhere he could never hurt her again. If only such a place existed.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
He was able to get within striking distance of the girl and she still showed no sign of awareness. Her smell reminded him of cherry blossoms in full bloom, very unique for any being especially humans. A soft breeze combed through her hair as he moved up behind her. The shoulders of this woman-child shook with her grief and he could sense the sorrow in her. He could cure that affliction for her if she would but ask. First she would have to know he was there to offer.  
  
SesshouMaru reached through her hair to grasp the slender column of her neck lightly from behind. She jumped at first, every muscle in her snapping to attention at the sudden realization that she was in danger, but he meant her no harm. Quite the opposite in fact. A defeated sob broke from her throat, and his brother's woman-child relaxed. She looked down into the well again then drew the Shikon-no-Tama from beneath her shirt.  
  
She unclasped the Jewel and set it on the well's rim. Together they stood in silence, just looking at the fragments of something so powerful that no being, human or youkai, would be able to fully posses it. Daylight poured over them when a cloud shifted to reveal the sun, and he had to wonder why she didn't call for help. His bother was within hearing distance. SesshouMaru speculated that were the hanyou not dallying with a walking corpse, he would be here, defending this woman-child. The boy was truly foolish to choose the dead over a living being.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
Kagome could barely see the Jewel anymore through the tears that clouded her vision. The youkai behind her was taking its time deciding how to kill her, and she only wished it would get it over with. The pain would end then and she would be at peace. She wondered if death was an eternal void of nothingness, or if there really was another level that conscious spirits went to. She would find out soon enough.  
  
The warm sunlight that had bathed them for the moment again passed behind a cloud. She shivered in the slight change of temperature and felt the youkai respond in kind. It stepped closer to her, the hand at her throat sliding over to her shoulder and pulling her back.  
  
It took only one step and she found herself within its embrace. A second arm circled her waist completely and Kagome wanted suddenly to lose herself in the creature's warmth. Her eyes drifted shut, the image of a calm afternoon in the forest still vibrant in her mind as she waited for her final moment to come.  
  
It hesitated only a second more then tightened its hold, cupping her chin now and tilting her face up towards the sky. She didn't want to know if it would snap her neck in one swift twist or if it planned to tear open her throat and leave her in a heap next to the well. Either way would be a release.  
  
Warm breath at her ear was a surprise, though. It meant the youkai's head was right beside hers. Kagome almost turned towards it, as though the creature's caress wasn't deadly, but its hand at her throat prevented such.  
  
She swallowed once when it drifted down her neck, images of her own blood pooling around her flashing into her mind. She didn't want to die that way, for it to be so long and drawn-out; she wanted quick and easy. The sudden end.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
She smelt divine, beyond the cherry blossoms he had thought of before there was subtle jasmine and a simple sweetness that was all woman. She was pure heaven.  
  
He nuzzled her skin, the surprisingly calm beat of her heart pulsing in the vein there in her neck, and resisted the urge to pull her around and kiss her. The woman-child had offered no resistance, no attempt to either escape or call for help. It was so much easier than he had expected. The way she stood so pliant and calm in his arms defied his intentions, the battle he had imagined having to fight to attain her. This powerful and beautiful miko, his brother's most deadly tool, was his.  
  
SesshouMaru kissed the junction of her shoulder and neck once, then bit into her. Tiny hands came up to grasp at him as her body instinctively reacted, but then she calmed again. The pounding of her now rapid heartbeat was so thrilling. It tempted him to draw more blood from her than was already flowing from the piercing wounds left by his fangs. He could drink her dry in a matter of minutes, but what then of later?  
  
Finding out who she was had only mildly prompted his interest, but knowing what possessing her love and loyalty could mean had brought him here. Killing her would be a mistake beyond forgiveness, even by himself, for she was the final key to his survival; to his ultimate domination of the Western Lands.  
  
No minor youkai would stand a chance against them. With her power linked to his youkai prowess, there would be nothing to stop him from ruling any domain he wanted. Granted, keeping control of just his inheritance was task enough, and SesshouMaru had no desire to attain more. He was satisfied with all fate had given him but would stop at nothing to secure it completely. That was where the woman-child came in.  
  
He had thought her a worthless human, not worthy of his hanyou brother's company even, but he'd come to see differently. She was written in the ancient legends of his kin, a human miko whose powers would save them all from extinction. It was a story so buried in the past, that SesshouMaru had only remembered it of recent when Rin demanded a tale to pass the time. He'd told her without realizing whom he spoke of until the child had offhandedly made the comparison to InuYasha's woman.  
  
"A miko like Kagome-chan," she'd said with an innocent light of awe and fantasy twinkling in her child's eyes. He'd left them soon after to seek out more information and the girl herself.  
  
She slumped in his arms, her head lolling back on his shoulder, and SesshouMaru turned her face towards him. Half-open eyes regarded him in confusion, as though she was waiting for something, and then finally she lost consciousness completely.  
  
He gathered her close, the lightness of her body a pleasant surprise to him, and turned to leave. There was a moment when the Jewel caught his eye and SesshouMaru realized he could not just leave so powerful a trinket laying around.  
  
Jaken and Rin had been told to return to the domain and await him at the castle. He would be going there directly, and had actually planned to be making his escape through a space void, but this pleasant change of events, the ease with which he'd obtained the miko negated the need for such risky travel. He could call to his brother, maybe even taunt the brat a bit for leaving something precious unprotected, and then leave, or just be on his way. He doubted InuYasha would know he'd taken the girl if they were already gone when the hanyou got to the well.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
Kikyou drew back from him slightly, the embrace too intimate and too much like forgiveness. They were still enemies but she would let him die in her place if that was what he really wanted. It mattered little, she couldn't feel anything beyond the pain and hatred, and she suspected that once InuYasha was dead she would still ache inside.  
  
He too moved away, only for far separate reasons. Kagome had seen them; he knew that because he could still smell her on the breeze. She'd no doubt go through the well, back to her own time until he came for her again. InuYasha wondered if this time she'd actually tell him 'no'.  
  
From the direction of the well they heard a faint bark. It could easily have been a dog from the village, but InuYasha knew the animals no longer ventured into the forest because of the strong demon presence here. No wolf packs roamed so close to humanity, aside from the occasional visit from Kouga, so his interest was immediately perked. He could feel the foreign youkai at the very limits of his senses and froze to the spot, wondering if it was maybe just Shippou come looking for Kagome.  
  
Kikyou too gazed off into the forest. She could feel the souls out there, as easily as she could taste her own dirt and bone body in every breath she took, but there was also that girl's presence. She was still linked to her reincarnation, a tiny piece of that soul residing in her being, and the undead miko sneered with disgust. She called to her soul catchers, letting their feather touch reassure her and carry her away. There would be plenty of time later for InuYasha.  
  
He knew she was leaving behind him but still did not shift his gaze. The sound came again, more pronounced and obvious, and InuYasha focused his eyes and ears in that direction, drawing the Tetsusaiga just in case. When he searched again for the youkai's presence, it was gone.  
  
He had to know.  
  
Creeping through the forest he quickly picked up Kagome's trail. Following it, he soon began to feel the Shikon-no-Tama the closer he got to the well, which told him it had been Shippou's aura he'd sensed. Maybe the little cub had delayed Kagome from leaving, inadvertently giving InuYasha a chance to explain about Kikyou. If it took being sat, then so be it.  
  
The well clearing was empty and for a moment of complete confusion he thought about just turning back to the village. A reflected spark of light caught his eye though.  
  
A look of sheer horror crossed his face as he rushed up to the Jewel. The wench had left it there on the rim of the well, where any youkai or human could have stolen it. She had never been so careless before or maybe it was she had never been so upset. InuYasha peered into the well, wondering if by leaving the Jewel, she had sealed herself in the future.  
  
It didn't make sense to him why she would do something so foolish. Clasping the Jewel in his fist, he turned from the well and bounded easily into the forest canopy. Maybe after a few days he'd go to her and ask her to come back and help him find the rest of the Shikon-no-Tama. Perhaps he'd even apologize, though really there was nothing to apologize for. Only the truth to explain.  
  
Kagome will understand, he thought, she always does.  
  



	2. Default Chapter 2

****

Chapter 2 

"Is she going to wake up?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Soon."

"Oh…how soon?"

"Go play outside."

"But…"

"I'll call you when she awakens."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now go play."

"Ok…thank you, SesshouMaru-sama!"

~~*~~*~~*~~

There was a soft humming coming from somewhere nearby, but it wasn't half as soothing as the cool hand on her forehead. She turned into it, wanting it should cover her entire face if for only a moment, but there was pain. Not emotional, this time it was purely physical. 

Kagome's hand cupped the spot on her neck that was stinging. It didn't help at all, and she tried to roll to her side, wanting to hug herself. Maybe that would help the pain go away.

He stopped her from moving, holding her shoulders to the bed, and bent over her to kiss the wound. She settled under his touch, her breathing coming in smooth takes again, as he lapped at the oozing blood. She'd broken open the scab, which was not new since she had done it a couple of times before, but SesshouMaru didn't doctor her so much this time. He wanted her to awaken.

Tiny hands on his arm and back signaled her return to the conscious world. Kagome was frozen beneath him, whether in shock or horror he couldn't tell, but at least she was no longer sleeping. He sat up and regained what he could of a regal bearing. 

"You have slept for four days," he informed her in a factual way. There was no emotion to his face, no hint of the sea of feelings that crashed about within him. SesshouMaru regarded the woman before him with complete indifference, as though he did this sort of thing all the time. As though he had not marked her as his own.

"Why am I here?" Her voice was shaky and coarse. 

What she needed in that moment was water and probably food, not an explanation. Rising from the bed, SesshouMaru held his hand out and immediately a previously unseen demon was at Kagome's side. The creature was plain of face and dress, the only indication of its heritage in its eyes. Two almond-shaped orbs glowed a strange green, shocking Kagome the first time she looked into them. The creature bowed its head to her and offered a glass.

A growl emanated from her stomach, and Kagome blushed because of it. Hesitant that SesshouMaru would poison her she sat up slightly and took the offered glass. The demon backed away from the bed and went to sit beyond a screen set in the corner of the room. She was alone with her kidnapper again.

"What is it?" She peered into the glass and was relieved to see clear, odorless liquid.

SesshouMaru merely gazed at her. He didn't give anything away and after a few more moments of the awkward silence, Kagome brought the drink to her lips. Water. It was heavenly to taste and she nearly moaned in satisfaction. She tossed the entire glass back in no more than four full gulps, a definite look of disappointment contorting her features when every last drop was gone.

The look almost brought a smile to his face. She was so adorable in her youth, the way her every desire was blatant in her expressions and eyes. As the servant youkai stepped from behind the screen to fill her glass, SesshouMaru came up and intercepted it, pouring her next glass of water himself. He gave it back the carafe and sent the creature to fetch some broth and bread, before sitting next to her again.

Kagome moved back against the headboard at the demon lord's nearness, but he only gave her a blank look and offered the water to her. "Drink it slowly this time," he instructed in a more casual voice. Since she didn't more from where was perched on the pillows, SesshouMaru went to her.

Kagome squeaked in shock when he grabbed her roughly and pulled her onto his lap. One strong arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her firmly in a sitting position, and the other held the glass in front of her. 

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

"Quiet!" The soft bundle of woman, that was awakening him in ways he was not ready to deal with, complied and settled somewhat tensely on his lap. "Now drink," he brought the cup close to her and waited. 

When she reached up to take it from him, SesshouMaru instead grasped the glass tighter. She acquiesced and placed her hand on his, bringing the water to her lips but letting him hold the glass. He only let her take little sips, enjoying the feel of her touch. She was holding on to his other arm around her waist, relaxing more and more in his hold with each passing minute. 

When the servant returned with the meal, SesshouMaru finally loosened his hold on Kagome. Handing her glass to the strange green-eyed youkai, he pushed her to her feet, a hand at her back for balance, and then stood himself. 

"Can you walk unassisted?"

She huffed once, as much to show her resistance as to the insulting nature of his question, and took a brave step towards the table. Her unused legs held her for almost a full second and Kagome toppled over.

SesshouMaru caught her immediately, opting to lean her against his body over carrying her to the table. He had to find a way to put her at ease, to win her affections from his bastard half-brother. Granted InuYasha had already scored one point for SesshouMaru by choosing the undead miko, but the demon lord also recognized the frailty of that victory. Kagome could just as easily despise both him and InuYasha, which had to be avoided at all costs. He could care less for her feelings towards the hanyou; it was how she felt about and for him that mattered.

Kagome clung to the strong form beside her. It made her wonder if she really had been in this castle for four days and if for so long, why she was still alive. Didn't the full-blooded youkai she so precariously clung to hate her for helping InuYasha and also for being human? It was hard to believe when the creature in question was partially carrying her to a table full of food and beverage.

"Thank you," she murmured out of habit when he had helped her to sit.

It was such a human thing, those little endearments that signified gratitude and regard. He could remember InuYasha's human mother using them all the time with him and his father. What was it the youkai lord had always replied?

"You're welcome."

Kagome stared in shock at the SesshouMaru look alike now sitting beside her. Had he just…?

"Did you just say 'welcome'…?"

A stern glare was her first reply, then, "Was it the wrong response?"

"No, it's just, that is…I never expected something like that from you."

He regarded her silently, a strange fury mounting inside him, but was it directed at her or his own self? "I am trying to change some aspects of myself."

"Why," she asked after taking a sip of the broth. It felt so good warming her throat and stomach, she wanted to purr.

SesshouMaru sighed, wondering if she was normally this annoying or if this was just some test to see if she wanted him. Deciding on the latter, he considered the question seriously, watching her eat while doing so. 

Kagome glanced at the demon lord from time to time, anticipating his response as much as she dreaded it. What reason would he have to bring her here other than to ransom her off for the Tetsusaiga from InuYasha? She was the bait that would draw her friends to this place and make the man she loved give up the heirloom his father had left him, for her. Her thoughts drifted to Kikyou then, wondering if InuYasha would even come for her now that he had the aide of the undead miko. There was no need for two shard-detectors.

A touch at her shoulder brought Kagome out of her revere. She looked up and her vision followed the arm to its shoulder then higher to the face and finally two deep, gold-colored eyes. SesshouMaru's face actually wore an expression other than indifference, and that alone captured her attention completely.

"For this," he said, moving his hand to cup her chin. He drew closer but she didn't mind; it felt nice having someone be nice to her for a change. "I want to change this sadness in you."

She flinched and turned away. "I'm not sad…"

It was his turn to huff. "Had it been any other youkai in that clearing you would be dead." There was no disputing this, so she just looked guiltily down at the soup. "Was it not sadness that led you there, Kagome? Was it not because of pain caused by the callous behavior of an ignorant boy? It's been four days already and still he hasn't come for you. He took the Jewel off that well and went back to Kik..."

"Enough! Please…" she begged, twin tracks of glistening moisture staining her face when she looked at him. "I know." Her voice was whisper-soft and it tore into SesshouMaru to see the emotional distress he had caused.

"Gomen nasai."

Kagome could only stare. Here was a being that had only ever wanted her dead, apologizing for making her cry. She sniffed, trying to put the ache away in her self – she would mourn that loss another time – and to deal with the situation at hand. With SesshouMaru.

"I don't know if I should try to reassure you or run screaming." He looked at her, obviously confused, and the sight caused her to smile. He understood then that it was meant to be a joke.

"Either way I shall have what I want, now finish your meal. I have promised Rin that she could visit once you had awakened." She reacted to that differently than he'd hoped, a curtain falling to block out that wonderful smile she'd just given him.

Kagome felt a stab of disappointment in her heart. I am only a means to an end again, she thought. Just like InuYasha and the Shikon-no-Tama, but this time with SesshouMaru. 

"Will you keep me here until InuYasha comes, then use me to get the Tetsusaiga?"

The question didn't surprise him, but her choice of words did. 'Use' her, no he'd never do that, 'keep' her though, that was something entirely different.

He stood from the table and went to pull her up also. She was complacent, as though she knew it would be his way or none at all, but had not expected him to hold her so intimately in his arms. With one hand spread across her back and the other cupping the back of her head, SesshouMaru pressed her body along his as he kissed her softly on the lips. 

Neither seeking more access, nor even for her to respond, he watched from half lidded eyes as the emotions played across her face. She was shocked first, then confused, and lastly, seduced. Kagome yielded to him only slightly, tilting her head in his grasp and using her own hands to hold herself to him. He dared not deepen their embrace, too afraid that she would run from him in fright, or worse yet disbelief, and calmed the raging instincts that seemed to surface now whenever he thought of her pleasant scent or curvaceous body. 

She understood now why she was here. Not for the Tetsusaiga or to get back at InuYasha, but because he wanted her. That feeling alone, of being wanted after going so long believing she was only second to a woman who was a walking corpse, opened Kagome to him just a little bit more. She let the warmth of his body engulf hers, let the tingling he caused inside her swell and become a consuming tide of such intense feelings she had no experience with, and she fostered all this once it was inside her. She wanted just as he did.

"Ahhh…SesshouMaru-sama?"

The moment ended just as she had begun to open up to him and SesshouMaru couldn't help the threatening growl that emanated from his throat as Kagome pulled back. He hugged her to his body, not willing to let the exchange completely end, and turned a murderous eye on the source of the interruption.

Jaken and Rin stood wide-eyed in the doorway; for once both were so completely caught off guard by what they had witnessed as not to pick at one another. The little girl recovered first, not at all concerned about the threatening sounds her SesshouMaru-sama was making, but rather elated that Kagome-chan was awake. That she was kissing her SesshouMaru-sama could only mean one thing.

"Kagome-chan! You're going to be Rin's new mother!" She bounded into the room, catching both her new parents in a hug about their knees, and smiling wide enough to split her face in two.

Still smothered in SesshouMaru's presence, Kagome only really became aware of what was going on when the child latched on to her. She was tempted to smile, not for the first time that day, when realization of what Rin had said finally sank in. 

"Mother?" Her question was directed to SesshouMaru though. Was that why she was here?

"Among other things, but yes, you will be a mother." He pulled her close again and nuzzled her neck just above the mark he'd made on her. "If you will stay…"

It was as close to a proposal as he would come, and she knew this. It would mean so many things though, and Kagome considered herself perhaps a bit young to make such a large decision on her own. She needed her own mother's advice, which would mean chancing an encounter with InuYasha to get home. 

Home, what a strange word, she thought, for suddenly what awaited her through the well didn't feel like home. It wasn't as warm and strong as the home she was in now, nor was there that wonderful feeling of need that she had only just known in SesshouMaru's kiss. Back there was love but not what she had yearned for, like the love that could develop here. If she would stay that is.

Sliding her arms around his neck, she too nuzzled into him, enjoying the captured feeling being in his arms gave her. "I need to think about it," she said, almost yelping when he tightened his hold on her. 

"But for now, you will stay."

"Yes."


	3. Default Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It had been a week since that day, when he'd held her and drawn from her lips the promise that she would stay. She'd kept from him though, never letting a time come when they were together alone. Kagome always had Rin near her, and had taken to locking the door to her chamber at night, as though she didn't trust SesshouMaru to leave her be.

Rightly so, he thought, because given the chance he would seduce her completely. He had plans for it, and as time wore on the need for it would become more apparent.

The demon lord made his way through the extensive caverns of his castle home. Her scent was part of the very walls now, and as he went about the daily business of overseeing his domain, thoughts of Kagome constantly invaded his mind. Whether or not she was the miko of legend would be seen, but she had certainly developed a special place in his life, just like Rin.

He'd seen her playing with Rin a few days back, the two dressing up in all of the extravagant cloths and kimonos SesshouMaru had provided for her, and he had caught the sight of her naked back. She was shrugging into another garment facing away from the door, but he thought that might have been for the best. Had he seen her from the front, or even more than just the creamy, smooth expanse from her waist to her shoulders, he might not have had the control to back away.

Dreams had plagued him since, of seeing all of her, actually having her withering in pleasure beneath him, above him, mounted before him. Always she cried his name, begging for more of the passion that only he could give her. But he never could feel his own finish for always he'd awaken, covered in a thin sheen of sweat and fully aroused, cursing the need he felt for her.

Today would be different, he thought while taking the stairs two at a time, a very un-lordly habit he'd picked up after seeing Kagome do it once. Today he planned to follow her around, corner her if need be into talking with him about their tentative agreement, and then tonight... Tonight he would finally get to finish.

SesshouMaru felt his body tingle with anticipation but his demon heritage gave him patience as well as control. He practically flew through the halls now; his nose and heart leading him to his miko bride.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Rin had gathered an amazing number of flowers for the table and Kagome could only smile at the little girl's enthusiasm for it all. She was an endless supply of energy and curiosity, more so now that Kagome had taken over watching her during the day hours. She would sleep with the child beside her if given the chance, but not only to comfort Rin when she woke from nightmares. She also wanted to keep SesshouMaru at a distance for as long as possible.

Kagome was well aware of the youkai lord's brooding. He was being denied something that apparently meant quite a bit to him. She had thought at first he only wanted her to get back at InuYasha and for ransom, despite what he'd said. But if that had been the truth, then wouldn't InuYasha have been called to the castle by now?

From the very vocal and frequent grumbling of Jaken, Kagome knew that her hanyou friend had not even been mentioned by or to the demon lord since the night she'd awaken. SesshouMaru had spoke of InuYasha then and afterwards closed the subject completely, obviously not even tolerating the suggestion from Jaken who had arrived one morning with a new set of bruises courtesy of his lord.

This behavior worried Kagome. Why would SesshouMaru take her into his home if not just to look after Rin? And when did he start to care for humans past their usefulness in matters concerning the Tetsusaiga? And...

"SesshouMaru-sama!" Rin cried as she raced across the room to hug her guardian.

Kagome turned to face him, her expression one of prey facing down a much larger predator. "And how long have you been standing there?"

He raised one graceful eyebrow to her. "And...? Something on your mind, Kagome?" He could only imagine what she was thinking with such a troubled look in her eyes.

She shook her head in dismissal and reached out to take Rin's hand as the child walked back to her, SesshouMaru in tow.

"Rin spent all morning picking flowers. Do you like them?" The child pointed to the tastefully arranged bouquets on the table as Jaken walked in.

"SesshouMaru-sama does not like weeds," he said in a snide fashion, turning his nose up at the blossoms. The glitter in Rin's eyes dimmed only slightly as she waited her 'father's' response.

SesshouMaru turned his attention from Kagome to the new centerpiece for the main dining table. He wanted more than anything to just dismiss the little girl, needing to begin satisfying his cravings for Kagome, but realized that such callousness would only cause a greater rift to develop. Rin needed his approval before he could just send her on her way and Kagome seemed to expect it.

Glancing about the room he noted a side table that was completely unadorned. There were many such pieces of furniture in the castle, being neither SesshouMaru nor his father before him particularly cared for trinkets of material wealth, and it was the perfect excuse to give to Rin. Let her pluck every flower from the gardens to be placed on tables, he thought, so long as Jaken accompanied her and Kagome didn't.

He walked with a measured pace to the side table. Looking back from it to the flowers Rin had already collected, he motioned for the child to come to him.

"Why is this table without flowers but that one is not?" He kept his voice neutral and pointed to the tables in question while addressing her.

Rin wrung her hands together, a look of total concentration coming over her face as she regarded the two tables. "Umm, because Rin has not picked flowers for it?" That she asked a question told SesshouMaru she was worrying if he approved.

He tried not to smile and turned towards where Jaken and Kagome patiently awaited the outcome. "Jaken. Take Rin to the gardens to pick more flowers."

"S-SesshouMaru-sama?" The toad demon was obviously confused.

Rin giggled with joy as she raced back to Kagome, throwing herself into the older woman's arms. "He likes them Kagome-chan! SesshouMaru-sama wants me to pick more for that other table!" She clarified by pointing, as though Kagome had not been present for the conversation.

"We should go get them then. Don't you think?"

Rin nodded quickly. "And more pink ones this time. I like the pinks best, don't you Kagome-chan?"

She nodded in response and turned to follow a sulking Jaken out the door when SesshouMaru caught her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Rin, you go ahead. Kagome and I need to speak for a minute."

He felt the jump in Kagome's pulse at this suggestion, but noticed she hid her nervousness from the child quite well. With one last look of complete happiness, Rin bounded out of the room, throwing back promises to pick Kagome's share of the flowers too.

Together they stood there, Kagome waiting for whatever it was SesshouMaru wanted to say to her and SesshouMaru really just enjoying the chaos he'd obviously caused her with his nearness. It was flattering that his proximity alone could raise her heart rate so much and by just touching her he could increase the potency of her scent to a point where it almost made him dizzy.

But this was not quite the time for that. Later, he promised himself.

"What were you thinking about earlier?" He came closer behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, nuzzling in her hair while waiting for her to reply.

She tensed in his arms, apparently uncomfortable with the youkai lord of the Western Lands snuggling up behind her and asking questions she didn't want to answer. Kagome had to fight the feelings inside her, of just wanting to curl into him and lose herself to his gentle touch. He had not always been so, she reminded herself over and over. He had wanted her dead for the longest time and such a drastic change had not something happened overnight. It was a result of something but to what, she needed to find out.

"How come you're suddenly so nice to me?" It hadn't come out as eloquently as she would have hoped.

His eyes crinkled with a smile hidden in her neck. Kissing his mark on her, which he hadn't done in a full week, SesshouMaru turned her in his arms and focused his gaze straight into her eyes.

"I am using you, remember?" His tone was even more sarcastic when he continued. "To get the Tetsusaiga and then afterwards I will probably kill both you and my hanyou brother, just for fun." She stared at him, blatant horror in her eyes and her hands clenching his arms. "That's what you want to hear, right?"

She had to tear her eyes from his, from the actual hurt she saw there. Her question had stung him, but obviously deeper than the simple insult caused by her disbelief. She had touched him at the core and was now killing that frail link they'd established the previous week.

"I don't know what I want anymore." She said, trying to turn out of his embrace so he wouldn't see her cry. He let her go, reluctantly, but more concerned about driving her completely away, than over a temporary loss of contact.

"Perhaps I should not have given you so much time to 'think about it'." He sighed with defeat laced into his voice. He was questioning his own actions now, and not her indecision. "It has only seemed to put us back where we first started and that means it will take more time to get where we should be going."

When she did not turn around, instead hugging herself to replace the warmth she'd lost by moving away from him, SesshouMaru lost a tiny bit of his control. It felt to him as though she had already quit.

"Do you know what I want?" He asked, a thread of impatience finally weaving its way into his voice.

"No."

"You, Kagome." She turned around quickly to face him, and he understood that she needed to see him say it to her without any other distraction. "I want you," he said, coming to take her in his arms again. "More than I want my father's fang or InuYasha's demise, I want you."

"But I'm human!" She yelled, jerking away from him only to be held firm. He pulled her back and caught her wrists when she began hitting his chest with tiny fists. "You hate me, remember?" she croaked and collapsed against his hold.

Rage poured through him finally as SesshouMaru pulled her up in his arms and kissed her hard. He forced his way into her mouth, running his tongue over her teeth then adjusted to suck on her lower lip. How dare she disbelieve him and his intentions towards her. She was his, marked and ready, and if he had to banish any previous memory of his former self from her by force of passion, then so be it.

The salty taint of her tears melded into the sweet taste of her mouth as Kagome responded. She stiffened but then hesitantly relaxed when he gentled the pressure on her mouth, finding the control to subdue his own inner demons. Her own tongue found its way into his mouth and he tightened his hold around her lithe body, reveling in the feel of her arms at his neck and shoulder.

This was beyond simple lust, he thought, finally releasing her when she gasped for air. "Does that feel like hate to you?"

Kagome couldn't feel her own feet let alone the sensations necessary to hate. She shook her head slightly and then buried her face in the fine silk at his shoulder. What was happening to her?

"I have changed, Kagome," he said, cupping her head in one hand and clasping her to him with the other. "Rin has taught me much, but only the little bit a child can teach. I want you to show me the rest." She looked up to meet his gaze again and SesshouMaru came nose to nose with her, only a couple inches of space separating the two.

"Love me Kagome, so I can know how to love you. Can we have that?"

"I..." don't know if I can love, she thought, her eyes tracing every line and feature of his beautiful face. I want to though...

"I will ask this again, and please don't run from me for it. Will you stay?"

She looked torn, suspended between what she considered a responsibility and all the things he was offering her. Was it selfish to enjoy the way it felt to be held, or the taste of a lover's offer on her lips? Could she afford to turn from him and still know love another time, with another man? Would that be possible?

"Kagome?"

No. This would not come again.

"Yes, SesshouMaru," she said on a whisper, tipping her chin to his kiss again and giving in to her heart.


End file.
